The UN Human Rights Council urges Iran to end protest violence and restore internet
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 to investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran linked to protests that began in September 2022, has recently expressed its worry concerning the “decisive” crackdown Iran has carried out without restraints against the on-going demonstrations.
Internet and mobile connectivity was shut down on the evening of the 8 January, restricting access and the sharing of information as violence escalated.
Protests began on 28 December following the sudden collapse of Iran’s national currency and have since spread in at least 46 cities in the country. Since then, several hospitals are reportedly overwhelmed by the number of casualties, including children.
The Fact-Finding Mission reiterated that “Iranian women, men, and children deserve to live safely, with dignity, and with full respect for their rights, including the right to peacefully protest, and to do so without oppressive violence, intimidation or repression by the State”.
Furthermore, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, through his spokesperson, has issued a statement underlining the rights for Iranians to “express their grievances peacefully and without fear” and that “the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as enshrined in international law, must be fully respected and protected.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights chief, Volker Türk, has also expressed his horror in light of the mounting violence directed by security forces at protesters in Iran, resulting in a high death, harm and arrest rate.
The High Commission has urged the Iranian authorities to immediately halt all forms of violence and repression against peaceful demonstrators, to restore all access to internet and telecommunication services and that those responsible for harming protesters would be held accountable.
Türk stated that the killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and he condemned the labelling of protesters as 'terrorists' to justify violence against them as unacceptable.
He noted that, as seen most recently in 2022, broad sections of the Iranian population had taken to the streets, demanding fundamental changes in the governance of their country. Türk added that once again, the authorities' reaction was to inflict brutal force to repress legitimate demands for change.
The High Commissioner expressed extreme concern about public statements by some judicial officials indicating the possibility of the death penalty being used against protesters through expedited judicial proceedings.
Türk concluded by asserting that this cycle of horrific violence cannot continue, emphasizing that the Iranian people and their demands for fairness, equality and justice must be heard.